He Sees Me
by WHAT'SMYIMAGINATION
Summary: All Bella has ever wanted was to be seen. She finds what she needs in Edward, but she is seduced by what she wants in another. It isn't until she is at her lowest when she accepts that Edward truly sees her. She must go through hell before she discovers happiness. A short story about loneliness, emotional abuse, and then love. All Human (B/E eventually)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. All else belong to me, WMI.**

 **§**

 **He Sees Me**

 **Prologue**

As I lie here in this hospital bed, I can't help but be grateful and ashamed at the same time. Laying in a room with white walls and white floors, under the heat of bright lights is not what I thought it would be. I can't stand the hum of the machines, nor the stiffness of this mattress. I don't like these cold, scratchy hospital sheets, but most of all, I cannot believe that I am here in the first place.

People say they know what shame feels like, but they have no idea what it means to truly be ashamed of yourself. It's not just doing something wrong and feeling bad. Nor is it hurting someone when you didn't mean to do so. No, it's avoiding mirrors because you can't bear to look at your reflection. A reflection so vile you want to vomit. It's ostracizing yourself from those who love you the most, even when they are standing next to you. I should have never let this happen, and I don't know how to fix it.

How do I get back to the "before"? Before I met _him_ , and before I changed into this person whom I don't even know. It's crazy when I truly think about it. I want to be alone to wallow in my misery, but these people won't leave. I am grateful that they are here, but still ashamed that they have to be here in the first place.

Rosalie sits there glaring, but not at me. She's glaring at the floor, as if the floor is _him_. With her perfectly arched eyebrows and made-up face, she doesn't belong here. She shouldn't be sitting in a hospital room, at my bedside, because of the stupid things I've done. Yet, she is here, glaring, and I know what she is thinking. If she had the chance, she would kill _him_. What's more, her husband, Emmett –my protector, would decimate _him_ , if he had the chance. Emmett stands at the door to my room, all hulking and menacing in his 6'2" frame. They would do anything for me, even if that meant killing. I am grateful.

I am ashamed, that Carlisle and Esme have to be here. That they have to see me like this, at my lowest. I know that I have disappointed them, even if they don't say it. Their faces may not show it, but I just know. I've failed them tremendously, but they are here. Esme, flutters around my room and dotes on me as she has always done, and Carlisle checks over my charts because the doctor in him can't help himself. However, I know they both mean well, because they only want the best for me, their surrogate daughter. They took me in when I felt that I had no one. A flighty mother and a dead father don't really make for good family. As an only child, I was alone.

It wasn't until I met Edward that I really had a family. Meeting him was the best thing to ever happen to me, and I can't help but think that I ruined it. He took me in during junior year of high school and never looked back. I was the new girl in Forks, and on the first day in science class, he pulled me into the fold. I will be forever grateful, but as I look at him now, talking on the phone to Jasper, I wonder where it all went wrong. No time to think about the answer because I drift off again.

 **§**

I wake to a room full of voices, noticing that Alice and Jasper have arrived. My hospital room is starting to become full, but I don't dare ask anyone to leave. Edward is the first to notice I'm awake, but the others catch on quickly. He comes to my side and picks up my hand.

"Bella!" he says. "Are you okay?" While holding my right hand, he lifts it to his mouth and kisses it.

I nod, once, twice, and then I cry.

 **§**

 **A/N: Please review and recommend**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Please Enjoy**

 **He Sees Me**

 **Chapter 2**

I can't help but look at Edward when I awake. He is still sitting at my bedside, sleeping in that hard-backed chair. His head is at an angle, and I know he must be uncomfortable but he is here. I can hear voices outside my room, where everyone else has gathered. I shift around in my bed, trying to sit up, but everything hurts. I guess I groaned aloud because Edward pops up and the voices outside stop.

"Bella, how are you feeling?" Carlisle asks as he walks into the room. He heads straight for my chart, not surprisingly. He is the best doctor in the Pacific Northwest, and an amazing father figure. Something I've always wanted. "Carlisle, I'm fine."

Of course, it's a lie, and I don't miss the glance shared between Carlisle and Edward. Edward has yet to say anything, and I have yet to look him in the eye now that he is awake. I can't face him because it's too much. However, that doesn't stop him from expressing his opinion. "Bella, you are not fine!" I can hear the anguish in his voice, and I am a bit shocked at his exclamation. Still, I don't look at him.

Carlisle puts my chart down, and informs me that he'll get a nurse to administer more pain medication. He excuses himself, and I feel dread overtake me. Leaving me alone with Edward is the last thing I want now. It's also something I've always wanted since we first met. I can still remember when I met him during Junior year of high school. We ended up in the same English Literature class, and he sat next to me in the second row. From that point forward, we worked on all our projects together, studied together, and became the best of friends. We were only ever friends…

I look over at Edward, finally, to see him staring at me with an indecipherable look on his face. I used to be able to tell what each of his looks meant, but after not seeing him for six months it seems that I've lost my touch. Again, I'm not surprised.

"Bella, Bella…what, how?" I know what he's asking, but I don't think I'm ready to talk about it. I am so ashamed, and it's worse because Edward is here to see all my shame. With six months of not seeing my friends. I was able to hide that shame. Six months of emotional abuse, of not being good enough, of being afraid to do something wrong. Having my arm grabbed, or being shoved "accidentally", or just wondering when I was going to be hit was my paralyzing life for six dreadful months. I had no one to protect me, and it was all my doing.

I ostracized myself from Edward, his parents, Rose, Emmett, and everyone else. All because _he_ wanted me to. Now, here I lay in this hospital bed with them all by my side. They're all here for me, because of me. Edward is here, and I know he wants answers. I can tell by the way his mouth opens and closes two more times before he speaks again.

"Bella, how long has this been going on?" His voice is so calm, which I do know is used to hide his underlying rage. "How long has James been hitting you?" I can't help but grimace before I respond with covered ire,

"This was the first time, but it doesn't matter. I guess now that everyone knows what I've been up to, he won't get the chance to do it again. Will he?" Edward's eye brows draw together, but he stays quiet. I can tell he's trying to understand what I meant by this being the first time, but I'm not lying. Until now, _he_ had never hit me before. A shove or grabby hands were nothing. Impatience is nothing, but being pushed down a flight of stairs is everything it shouldn't be.

"I can't believe I wasn't there to protect you. This should have never happened to you, Bella. You didn't deserve this, you know," he grabs my hand again and a sad smile encompasses his face. "It's not your fault." I don't know what to say to him, but I don't need to say anything because tears start streaming down my face. Edward just whispers the sweetest platitudes until I calm down.

"We can talk later Bella, but I want you to rest my sweet girl."

 _He Sees Me_

 **A/N: Please review and recommend**


End file.
